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Cop, 3 suspects die in shootout
13/12/2007 08:50 - (SA)
Francois du Plessis, Beeld
Johannesburg - A policeman and three alleged suspects died in a rain of bullets in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
This came a day after a gang of 11 heavily armed robbers were shot dead during a failed cash-in-transit robbery near The Carousel north of Pretoria.
Tuesday's bloody shootout took place at about 08:10 in Grafton Street, Yeoville.
Spokesperson Captain Cheryl Engelbrecht said police on a routine patrol tried to pull over a suspect vehicle in Berea shortly beforehand. The men drove off.
The police pursued them and the men eventually pulled off a few kilometres further, in Grafton Street.
"One of the policemen got out to confront the men, who suddenly opened fire on him," said Engelbrecht. The constable, from Hillbrow police station, was declared dead on the scene.
His colleagues, who were still inside the police van behind the robbers' blue Toyota Corolla, shot back, hitting the three men in the torso and head.
Gang members 'too fast'
Ignatius Moyo, 18, who watched the shootout from a balcony in the Homelands block of flats in Grafton Street, said "more than 20 shots were fired".
"The policeman got out of the car and the men in the car started shooting at him. He took out his pistol, but they were too fast," Moyo explained.
Members of the public provided information to the police at the scene about the gang the three men allegedly belonged to, as well as their places of residence.
The police picked up seven men at their homes and took them to the scene of the shootout before taking them away in police vans.
Some of the bystanders reportedly booed the seven men.
According to Engelbrecht these men were questioned by the police to find out if they could be linked to any crimes.
Engelbrecht said a toy gun, ammunition and illegal identity documents were found in their possession.
"We will investigate which crimes the other three were involved in. They wouldn't have shot at the police if they had a clear conscience," said Engelbrecht.
- Beeld
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